A four-year-old boy was trapped in water for hours beside his father's body after their bakkie left the road near Bloemfontein and landed in a deep pool, the Volksblad newspaper reported on Wednesday.

"My daddy lies in the water," the boy reportedly told a farmer who came across the accident scene and took the shocked Bernarco Marais out of the vehicle.

His father Bernard Marais could have drowned some time during the early hours in the pool of water, the report said.

Bernarco was taken to the Life Rosepark Hospital where he was examined and received trauma treatment before being released.

The report said the accident happened about 30km outside Bloemfontein on the road to Jagersfontein on Tuesday. The boy was rescued at about 6am on Tuesday.

A family member told the newspaper that people were releasing racing pigeons in a field when they saw the bakkie in the water. They contacted the nearest farmer.

When the group arrived at the bakkie, the boy opened the vehicle's window and asked them to help his father who was lying in the water.

The report said police divers removed the body of Marais, whose one foot was caught in the window of the bakkie.

Police are investigating the incident.

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